Attention Deficit Disorders Evaluation Scale (ADDES)

The Attention Deficit Disorders Evaluation Scale (ADDES) is designed to evaluate and diagnose Attention Deficit Disorders in children and youth ages 4.5-18. The ADDES has two versions: one for use in a school setting (ADDES-School) and one for use in the home (ADDES-Home). The School Version has 60 items divided into three subscales: inattention, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity. Observers use quantifiers to indicate the frequency of different behaviors. The Home Version is similar but contains 46 items and uses nine age-sex standardization groups instead of the eight used in the School Version.

ADDES Development

The ADDES was designed to measure the three behavioral constructs of attention deficit disorders as defined in the DSM-III. Content validity was investigated through reviews of ADD descriptors by diagnosticians, parents, and educators. Item pools were refined through an item analysis of response distributions and item/total score correlations. Factor analysis empirically confirmed the construct validity of the three subscales. Construct validity was further supported by ratings of non-ADD and identified ADD children and youth from the standardization groups. Convergent validity studies showed positive and significant correlations between the ADDES scale measures and measures obtained from the revised versions of the Conners’ Teacher Rating Scale and the Conners’ Parent Rating Scale.

ADDES Technical Information

The ADDES-School was normed on 4,876 students ages 4.5-21 (both attention deficit and non-attention deficit) and 1,567 teachers in 72 school systems across 19 states. The ADDES-Home was normed on 1,754 children ages 4-20 evaluated by 3,172 parents/guardians across 12 states. Reliability measures for both versions include test-retest reliability, interrater reliability, and internal consistency reliability measures.

ADDES Use

The ADDES is useful for identifying ADD behaviors, and the standardization across age-sex levels is particularly important. The ADDES allows for data collection from parents and educators and can be used in a variety of settings (home and school). However, some items are not useful across situations within the home or school. The ADDES can be used repeatedly over an observation or treatment period to assess the presence and persistence of ADD behaviors.

ADDES Limitations

The ADDES is not designed to assess non-hyperactive ADD students. It also does not address co-occurring conditions, which may present problems in distinguishing ADD-specific behaviors.

References

The Eighteenth Mental Measurements Yearbook

The Nineteenth Mental Measurements Yearbook